Archive for the ‘Fitness Programs’ Category

The Top 10 Questions About P90X2™

By Steve Edwards

What’s the difference between P90X® and P90X2™? This is the question of the year, and it can’t be answered in one simple sentence, or even one article. So I’ve written this series to help you decide whether or not P90X2 is the program for you. I wish I could tell all of you that P90X2 is right for you, but I’m too responsible for that. I’m sure one program in Beachbody’s huge collection will work for each of you, but if you want to know specifically whether that right one is P90X2, read on.

Is P90X2 better than P90X? How can you beat the most popular workout program in the country? You can’t. P90X2 is an extension of P90X. It’s not necessarily better, but it’s definitely evolved. For a more in-depth look at its development, read the first article in this series (see “The Next X: What’s New About P90X2?” in the Related Articles section below).

Is it more Muscle Confusion™? You betcha! If you thought your muscles were confused last time around, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Is it harder? Remember the first time you did P90X? Could anything feel harder than that? Probably not. So while P90X2 isn’t technically harder, it’s probably going to feel harder until you get used to it. And since it’s Muscle Confusion, it’s going to take you some time to adapt. During this adaptation period, it’s going to feel very difficult, but you’re used to that, right? And when you take your X2 body back to another round of P90X, that program’s going to feel harder too, because you’ll be prepared to push yourself farther than ever before.

Is it still 6 days per week? No, it’s only 5, though we suggest active recovery on your rest days. The more intensely you work out, the less time you need to spend doing it. With more breakdown, you also need more rest. P90X2 has evolved to the point where less is more.

Will there be options like Lean and Doubles? Instead of giving you different program options, P90X2 gives you the option of increasing each phase long enough to get the most out of it. If you’re having trouble with your balance, you may decide to spend more time in Phase One. For bigger muscles, spend more time in Phase Two. Want to get faster, jump higher, or become more agile? Spend more time mastering Phase Three. You’ll definitely want to read the guidebook, because it provides ideas for how to tailor your training personally for you (and much more). In P90X, we made the most versatile home fitness program ever created. P90X2 will open up even more options.

Is it true that there’s no cardio? Here’s a little secret: There was no true cardio in P90X, either. At least not in the kind of training generally associated with that word. P90X used anaerobic interval training to improve your cardiovascular system; although it’s technically cardio, it isn’t the public perception of cardio. “Cardio” is a training colloquialism for training your heart. So while you won’t see any cardio in the title names, doing Plyocide or P.A.P. Lower will train your cardiovascular system as well as any cardio routine you’ve ever done.

Will I need any new equipment? There’s a lot of new equipment for P90X2, and you’ll eventually want to own all of it. But the cool thing is that we’ve created an option that can be done with nothing but a few exercise bands and furniture found in any hotel room. This “hotel room” option virtually eliminates excuses for not working out.

So what is this equipment? Here’s a list of the equipment needed, which we’ll go into in detail in a later article. Did I say “needed”? It’s not, really. Besides the hotel room option, we also do most movements in a variety of ways to make it easy to add equipment as you can afford it. Here’s a prioritized list:

Bands and/or weights: You need some form of resistance.

Pull-up bar: Just like P90X.

Yoga mat: You must have one of these by now, right?

Stability ball: We highly recommend this, because the benefits outweigh the cost many times over . . . and over.

Foam roller: You may not have heard of this before, but don’t be surprised if it
changes your life.

Push-up stands: You know ’em. You love ’em. How come you don’t already have them?

Medicine balls: Mainly used for balance, so easily replaced with substitutes (basketballs, etc.) if need be, though once you’ve used the real thing you’ll wonder why you ever waited to buy them.

Pull-up assist: While highly optional (we got away with chairs all these years), the pull-up assist will not only improve your ability to finish all your reps, it’ll greatly improve both your form and exercise efficiency.

Yoga blocks: If you need these, you probably have them already.

Foam rolling? What the?! Foam rolling is a myofascial release technique. Hmm . . . not much help? Okay, how about this? It’s a form of self-massage that forces your muscles to lengthen and align properly. Used regularly, it’ll increase your mobility and range of motion and actually help you get stronger, because it frees your muscles to work the way they’re supposed to. This one simple practice is often enough to change your alignment and allow you to move freer and easier.

How has the diet plan changed? For P90X2, the diet has evolved along with the exercise plan. Not that there was anything wrong with the old one, but we’ve been listening to your suggestions, and we’ve revamped the diet guide to give you more options on what to eat, how to increase effectiveness, and how to simplify the entire eating process. This subject is more than we can cover here, so the X2 nutrition plan is the topic of next week’s P90X2 article.

Eligible to send in your P90X2 success story to be used in the future infomercial.

P90X2 Promo T-shirt

Will P90X2 be Harder than P90X?

This is the number one question I’ve been getting. I’d love to tell you some story about how Tony said it would be the most grueling workout ever made and that only people that have done P90X 5 times should even attempt P90X2. Yeah, I’d love to tell you that, but the truth is it won’t be harder than P90X. It will just be better.

Muscle Confusion – Periodization

Periodization (or muscle confusion as it was called in P90X) is nothing new. All sorts of athletes have been using this training method for years. Most them had professional coaches who closely monitored their progress. In recent years training plans have become readily available. The problem with those plans, and a weakness of P90X, is that they are cookie cutter plans. You frankly might not be ready to move from Phase I of P90X to Phase II of P90X, but there it is on the schedule – Recovery Week – Phase II. P90X2 will change that by using flexible training periods. We suggest you work with a Team Beachbody Coach to figure out how and when to switch phases. I’ll even offer to Coach you for FREE.

Here are the Phases you’ll see in P90X2

As I mentioned in the previous section, each Phase is customizable. You’ll really want to work with a Coach to be sure that you are ready to move to the next Phase. You will need to master certain movements prior to moving on, so make sure your Coach is using a Performance Based Assessment, and not something less scientific. I’ve been doing these types of assessments with the people I Coach through Insanity and P90X for quite some time now. If you are in the pre-order group, I’ll be doing the program with you.

Phase I – Foundation: 3 to 5 Weeks

In Phase I of P90X2, the base training phase, you can expect to:

Move Better

Feel Better

Reduce Likelihood of Injury

This Phase is really about building up fitness in your stabilizing muscles. The goal is to fix imbalances that most of us have. P90X2′s Foundation Phase is designed to level those types of things out and get you ready for Phase II.

Phase II – Strength: 3 to 6 Weeks

This is going to be hard…very hard. In Phase II of P90X2 you can expect to:

Get stronger through wider range of motion

Get more supple

Look good

P90X2 will combine strength and stability. You’ll be doing pushups with your hands and feet on balls. You’ll do levers, a brutal pull up maneuver. If you have carpet, your stability ball will burn a hole in it.

Phase III – Performance: 3 to 4 Weeks

This is where the money is at. Performance. Steve Edwards taught me a long time ago to use performance as the key measure of fitness with the people I Coach. Most of the work I do is designed to make me a better cyclist and triathlete. That’s about performance. In Phase III of P90X2 you can expect to:

Jump higher, run faster, ride faster and be more explosive

Start to feel like a kid again

It’s amazing what fitness will do for your attitude. Get to Phase III of a program like P90X2 and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

This is the Phase when the P90X2 workout employs P.A.P. or Post Activation Potential. P.A.P. is fascinating. P.A.P. only works in conditioned athletes only, so you don’t want to even attempt this type of workout until you’ve done the work in the other Phases or you could get hurt. P.A.P. increases the production of muscle cell motor units adding explosive power. P90X2 will have you doing a weighted resistance exercise prior to an explosive exercise. That type of training results in amazing muscle growth. Beachbody knew this type of training would require some expert input, so they brought in Dr. Marcus Elliott of P3 (Peak Performance Project). Dr. Elliott works with professional athletes and has them doing a lot of P.A.P. workouts. He was the first to point out that this type of training is great, but the body needs to be conditioned in order to be able to perform at this level.

The P90X2 Workouts

Here’s the line up:

X2 Core

Plyocide

X2 Recovery and Mobility

X2 Total Body

X2 Yoga – an hour and five minutes of strength based Hatha flow

Balance + Power

Chest & Back and Balance

X2 Shoulders & Arms

Base & Back

PAP Lower

PAP Upper

X2 Ab Ripper

V Sculpt – Deluxe Pack

X2 Chest + Shoulders + Tris – Deluxe Pack

The P90X2 Nutrition Guide

You can expect similar service once this is in my hands. It’s going to be very different from the P90X Nutrition Guide, because it will be broader in scope. The P90X2 Nutrition Guide will cater to vegans, vegetarians, pescitarians, paleo and an assortment of other nutritional theories. Basically its going to be fully comprehensive nutrition for you, depending on how you want to eat. The plans going to have that covered because there are 27 diet guides in the P90X2 Nutrition Guide.

P90X2 Packages and Costs

P90X2 will be available on Blu-Ray, so the cost structure below, will include both the DVD and Blu-Ray prices.

P90X2 Base Package

This includes the workouts listed above, except the last two listed “Deluxe Pack”, the Nutrition Guide, a Workout Guide and a 90 day calendar.

P90X2 Deluxe Package

This pack includes everything in the Base Package, but adds the V Sculpt and X2 Chest + Shoulders + Tris workouts and a foam roller, two medicine balls, and a large stability ball.

DVD – $239.85

Blu-Ray – $299.85

The foam roller is going to incorporated into a couple of programs, but you’ll see it in the X2 Recovery and Mobility section in particular. It helps iron out the kinks. I have been using it for about 18 months now, and it really does help.

P90X 2 Ultimate Package

The Ultimate Package gives you everything in the Deluxe Pack, except the foam roller, which is an upgraded model in the Ultimate Pack (see picture below). The Ultimate Pack also adds a set of Tony Horton’s Power Stands to the party. These are really good for pushups and shoulder moves like Pike Presses. Some of my favorite equipment.

P90X2 Discounts

Everybody loves a deal. Here are a couple of ways you can save a few bucks and/or add some value to your P90X2 experience.

Ordering from Team OverActive

You’ll get a few extra things at the same cost if you order it from us rather than Beachbody. Here’s what we are offering to our customers.

Free Coaching – If you want to sign up for the Beachbody Club membership, go right ahead, but we have never charged for our Coaching and we are not about to start now. Get us assigned to you before you purchase, by CLICKING HERE.

Two Additional DVD’s – When you order from us, you’ll also receive two of Tony Horton’s One on One workouts on DVD. The workouts are “4 Legs” and “Upper Body Balance”. Both these workouts will fit well with what P90X2 is trying to accomplish in its various phases. Please be sure we are assigned to you before you purchase in order to get this deal.

Currently in development, P90X2™ is the sequel to Beachbody’s best-selling workout program, P90X. With P90X2 workout, P90X grads can get even stronger, more flexible, and more ripped. This program is designed for maximum intensity and efficiency. In fact, this completely new 90-day program features cutting-edge workouts so intense, we only let you do them
5 days a week.

Muscle Confusion™ 2

If you doubt your muscles could feel any more confused than the first time you did P90X—you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! P90X2 is going to up the ante with movements, sets, supersets, and complexes that are going to have your muscles so baffled, they won’t know which way is up.

Less is More

As intensity increases, training volume needs to decrease to allow more time for recovery, so in P90X2, you’ll only be training 5 days per week. Remember what you learned in P90X: The body can only grow stronger at rest. This time around, you’re earning more of it. Hard training is all about efficiency, and P90X2 has evolved to the point where less really is more.

P90X2 Workout

The P90X2 program is made up of three phases, each focusing on a different aspect of your fitness: Foundation, Strength, and Performance, that will help your body evolve in ways you never imagined. You’ll begin by improving your foundation, where instability plays a large role. Then you’ll build strength and, finally, power, which all translates to improved performance.

Expanding on the original program, P90X2 workout embraces the latest research in applied science to keep your muscles “confused” even longer. The end result is a program that everyone from 5K aspirants to professional athletes can benefit from.

What gives P90X2 its edge?

Dr. Marcus Elliott and the Peak Performance Project.
In order to take P90X2 to the next level, we enlisted the services of Dr. Marcus Elliott. One of the most sought-after trainers in the world of sports, Dr. Elliott now presides over Beachbody’s Scientific Advisory Board and has lent his expertise to the evolution that is P90X2. Until now, his groundbreaking training techniques have only been available to world-class athletes. With P90X2, now you can take them home.

Some people don’t want to look like the Incredible Hulk or like Arnold Schwarzenegger (pre extra marital affair days), but they want to have good cardio and some definition of muscle tone without the bulk. (Think spin coach and aerobic instructor). There are some who want to look lean, but still have muscle mass, “being cut” by definition. (Think tri-athlete).So, I am hopefully going to be able to address both body goals. If you want to be a lean “look I have muscles and no underarm flab” machine, then find something you will enjoy doing again and again. Swimming (not wading in the pool), biking riding at a moderate pace to include hills on a road bike for about 15-20 miles, hiking at a moderate pace at a minimal to steady climb for about 1-2 hours, running at a moderate pace at about 4.5 miles/hour for 3 miles. Work your way up slowly in being able to do the activity for longer intervals and push yourself, not to the point of exhaustion, but to accomplishing the goal you set for yourself that day. Never doubt how well your body can do when you push yourself and know you can do it. If you like a lot of variation then try joining an aerobics class, spin class, kick boxing and my current favorite craze the Insanity program and P90X. With the proper diet and nutrition, your energy level, cardio and lean muscle definition will develop. Also, do the workouts consistently for at least 4-5 days a week. Hey, maybe even 6 days and rest on the 7th day because even Jesus needed a break.Remember 3 things: Strength training, cardio exercise and eating well (often and have proteins).For those who want to look lean, yet have those ripped abs and chiseled muscles, I would still recommend doing Insanity and P90X. If working out in your home is not for you, then hit the road running or biking, whichever you prefer. Then it is time to hit the weights. You want to be “cut”, well then don’t do less weight and more reps (like the ones who just want lean muscle). You have to raise the weight and do a minimum of 12-15 reps and 3 sets. If you are striving for the “no neck, barrel chest, tree trunk legs” then go for max weight with minimal reps (probably 4-5 reps) and 3-4 sets. Once you lean yourself down, you will want to “define” yourself with weight training, but also realize that you will need to make it up in calories if you plan on lifting a lot. It will depend on your weight, but for a guy, a 2,500-3,500 calorie consumption might help in the “bulking” and “cutting” process of muscle building. Still keep in mind to do the cardio portion of your exercise regime. What you put into your body will result in the effort you put out. Eating like a slug makes you feel like a slug. So remember no matter what healthy body you choose to have, keep it healthy, simple, active and always push it to do better for you.

Today was a good day because my Insanity t-shirt came in the mail. This is a big deal for me because to some it is just a “simple thing”, a freakin’ t-shirt, but I had to earn it. Two months of a very tough program. Before and after photos. Measurements of weight lost and inches lost. This was huge for me! A program that I stuck to, without fail, and received a very “simple thing” at the end. Kind of like when you played sports as a kid and when you won, they gave you that little, cheap, plastic trophy and you thought it was the best thing ever.

For those who don’t like the daily grind of a gym, find a program that works for you and that you can stick with. Variety is the spice of life and that is true when it comes to staying in shape and working out. Mix it up because even “simple things mean a lot”.

Well, after a very mentally stressful day at work, which actually if you think about it, wears you out more than physically doing anything…I came home and was ready to get my Insanity on. I had to work out the days “oh my gosh I almost wanted to just squeeze my eyes closed really tight, click my heels three times and wish I was in Neverland” activity by sweating it all out. Just 20 minutes of the Insanity: Fast and Furious then I finished just in time to do P90X Cardio X with Jo-Anne. We were busy Downward dogging, upward dogging, Kempo punching, front-side-back kicking, jab-cross-hook-upper cut punching, etc…it was a good way to finish the day and even better way to finish the night by the wonderful chicken boob and Cajun sweet potatoes fries. All courtesy of Jo.

Now that I am comfortably full, not “roll off the dining room chair then onto the couch ah forget it, go to bed full”, but content enough to get ready for tomorrow and look forward to the very long weekend. Woo hoo. I learned that to get through days of stress, if I physically take care of myself and laugh it off to care for my mental well being, then I will be okay. Just remember, “You can’t fix crazy. You can just tip toe around it because the meds aren’t working.”

I have found that if you exhibit a good attitude towards people, situations and not let things bother you…that those around you who are being pissy, will just stop yapping because no one is paying attention to their drama and they will have no one to talk to but themselves, because that is the only person listening to them anyway.

This blog was not so much about physical awareness per se, but mental well being because without it, you will give up on yourself to do better and will just be and feel blah…

So I thought I’d make a little video for everyone to watch. We will try keep the videos coming and change the up the topics every so often to make them more exciting. This one is just an intro to me and my background. Hope you enjoy.

So, as much as I really do not want to post half naked photos of myself for the world to see I suppose I will do it. The only reason I am doing it is because I actually surprised myself by seeing that there was actually quite a difference made by doing Insanity for 60 days. I bet if I stuck to the nutrition program that it came with I would have done much better. My Fit Test results today were better than the last time as were Michelle’s. I will have to do another post with Day 1 vs. Day 60 results because they are quite amazing. As much as you don’t think you improved just seeing the numbers down on paper show you actually improved a lot. Those darn Power Jumps just kill me though, holy cow. Wow. Oh, and seriously, Michelle video taped me doing a Push Up Jack, wow, not pretty. Ok, enough is enough. I’ll get the photos now and put them up for all to see. Be nice or I won’t put anymore photos up. Or, maybe I’ll substitute Michelle’s body for mine next time.

Today was our official last day of the 60 day program Insanity. We will continue to do this program along now with P90X (hybrid). I must say that it was very refreshing to complete something that was very challenging, yet healthy to do in such a short time each day (except for Sunday. That was our assigned day of rest).

I think that we improved our cardio tremendously and lost a couple of inches here and there. Here is just one of the “tests” we had to do during the Fit Test. Each segment was a minute long and there were (8) different exercises. This is called Power jumps. The concept is to jump as high as you can, using your core and landing softly and safely. Doing as many repetitions as you can within a minute. This was our last Fitness Test. We had to do a total of (6) throughout the course of 2 months. Each month trying to improve our repetitions from the last test. I am proud to say that we both improved and kicked a$$ this last test. Yeah us.

Well, well, well. Two more days left of this Insanity program and I am loving it. Loving not that the program is almost over, but the efficiency, variation and effectiveness of it. The next step is to keep on keeping on and still getting busy. Insanity and P90X (hybrid). Now that it is almost Summer, we won’t be having to do these programs as often because our love of hiking and biking will take its place. I recommend Mt. Rose, Tahoe Rim Trail and Whites Creek for hiking. Biking in Sacramento along the American River Trail to Folsom (yes, it’s 60 miles round trip, but it’s flat so suck it up) and the approximate 20 mile loop in Verdi are nice biking ventures. These places are very convenient when you don’t want to travel to far from home-Nevada that is.

That being said, get outside as much as possible. It is true what “they” say about sunlight. It is very good for you. (In moderation though, not to where you become a crispy critter with sun spots all over the place looking 5 times your age).

Home maintenance, being outside and working on the exterior of the house. I am so looking forward to that this year. Getting some sun and getting a new fence up and looking good. It’s going to be a lot of work, but will keep me active and doing something different, plus it will work my upper body. Yes!

If you have ideas of things to do this Summer that would not only be healthy, but fun then let us know. Keep on being healthy and happy because life is precious and people like you being around.

So I thought we’d take a look back at some before photos and some now photos. Now don’t be shocked and if you have sensitive eyes, look away as the before photos may scare you. Yes, I did this to myself. I ate fast food, didn’t work out and was just plain lazy. To give myself a bit of a break, I was also on some meds that helped me gain weight but still, I ate horribly.

Something clicked one day and I decided “enough was enough”. The plan was simple, exercise and eat well. So, there you have it, before photo and a now photo. Crazy, huh?

How exciting!!! This is our very first post and we can’t wait to see what changes our bodies have gone through since we started the Insanity program approximately 2 months ago. The daily dedications to working out and not only hoping to look better, but feel better are paying off.

Our last official day of Insanity is Sunday the 22nd of May (Fit Test results) and then it is on to Insanity AND P90X (hybrid) for a more invigorating variation of working out. Looking forward to the challenge of pushing beyond what limits we think our bodies can endure and loving every minute of it…..kind of, we are not that insane.

Again, I must stress how great I feel now, of course, compared to when I was 220 lbs. I would never want to go back to having little to no energy, dreading having to try on clothes (in the Plus size section) and just the plain old feeling of having no confidence about myself.

I have been lucky to find someone who has enough energy for a small army and who motivates me when I am tired. Luckily, with Insanity and P90X, I need no motivation as the programs give variations of activity and don’t lead to boredom.